By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog. Multi award-winning Andrae’ Crouch is moving into his sixth decade in gospel music, but he’s not slowing down. The singer-songwriter who, along with the Hawkins Family and the Rance Allen Group, helped birth the contemporary gospel movement in the 1960s, is promoting a new single, a new album, and a choir competition. The Journey, available May 15, will be Crouch’s first CD since 2006’s Mighty Wind. The album’s first single, “The Promise,” will be available as a digital download on Tuesday, February 15 exclusively at Walmart.com, iTunes, and Amazon.com, and all other online retail ...

Christian hip hop artist Lecrae Moore of Houston, Texas is one of the first – if not THE first – Christian rap artists to reach the number one position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart with two consecutive projects. TBGB had a chance to catch up with Lecrae last week. We talked about his influences, his latest releases, and whether Christian rap and hip hop is making inroads in churches. TBGB: How did you get started in Christian rap? L: I got started when I was volunteering at a juvenile detention center and doing music for them on a regular ...

by Bob Marovich, The Black Gospel Blog Growing up in Refreshing Spring Church of God in Christ just outside Washington, DC, gospel singer Kevin LeVar was surrounded by top gospel music talent. HOB recording artists the Refreshingettes hailed from Refreshing Spring. The church’s Minister of Music was none other than Evangelist Myrna Summers. Her 1970“God Gave Me a Song” with the Interdenominational Youth Choir of Maryland and DC earned the songstress a Grammy nomination. LeVar’s mother and father sang with Summers, and Kevin called her “godmother.” Despite this, the self-proclaimed “mischievous kid” was not known for singing. Not, that is, ...

JJ Hairston of the group Youthful Praise spent time with The Black Gospel Blog recently to talk about the group’s genesis, its musical influences, and the forthcoming CD, Resting On His Promise (Light Records/Evidence Gospel), to be released September 1. TBGB: You grew up in the Church of God in Christ. How has this influenced your music ministry? JJ: It’s influenced us tremendously. At its base, the Church of God in Christ is a traditional movement. We have our youthful vigor as a choir, but at the end of the day we are a church choir. We present songs for ...